Starting out the tasting with second wines, whites. This was airy and elegant. Fine aromatics with fresh fruit. Lacks the density of a first wine. Alcohol clocks in at 13.5% Well, this is a good start. If you see at a restaurant and not too pricey, I recommend it.

Another decent white, second wine, with clean fruit and brightness on the attack. A bit short on the finish.13.5% alcohol.

I like the nose on this second wine. The attack is a tad raw and "high toned", but it finishes long and focused. Overall rather balanced and refined! This is a fine second wine, indeed, with a medium finish. Blending 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot, clocking in at 13% alcohol.

Nice showing! This nose is intense (akin to the Dame de Couhins), but less obvious (more subtle). The palate starts a touch austere, but gets better, even if it lacks the concentration you would get from a first wine, noticeably so. Very fruity however and as a second wine, a very good restaurant choice.

Lovely nose, roasted coffee, but of a mild nature. With some plum stew, the palate is smooth and even svelte, rich, and more like a well-made rich yet not "modern" Right Bank wine than a Graves. A bit more “stewy” as compared to the Couhins first wine in red however. Overall, pretty darn good for lovers of a richer style.

Clocking in at 14.5% alcohol, this blend of 44% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot exudes a nuanced nose. Not as "obviously enveloping" as the Bouscaut, tasted just before, but it has a more nuanced expression of both red and dark fruit. It shows grip on the palate and keeps you coming back for more. Rather long finish, too. Bravo!

Certainly a star among the reds from bottle at this tasting. The nose is already very appealing. Very nuanced, deep ripe fruit, red and black, with touches of oak toast that accentuate the tasting experience rather than detract from it as the fruit remains the main attraction. Juicy and rich at the same time – and I am just talking about the nose here. The palate is also juicy. An early stage however with a healthy bit of tannic austerity that indicates the necessity for cellaring at least five years for an optimal early drinking window. Domaine de Chevalier combines classicism with optimal ripeness. Bravo!

Bright red fruit on the nose. You want to keep smelling this wine! This is lovely, chipper and smooth. There is crackling red fruit appeal! For some, however, it may seem just a tad under-ripe in terms of “optimal ripeness”? But I like this style, especially with richer foods to achieve optimal fat-acidity balance. A fine choice for sommeliers and I say hurray!

This is elegant yet rich, bien sûr. Yet, the slow transformation away from excessive richness and extraction is bearing fruit at this estate as the quality of its terroir is undeniable - and showing more. A somewhat cooler vintage like 2016 suits the estate well. One of the best from bottle in recent years that I can recall. Bravo!

Noticeably darker in profile than the Esprit de Chevalier. There is an already evolved, even close to Sherry, aspect to this wine, as it over evolved. Opened a second bottle and got hazelnuts. Go elsewhere for second wines...

Ripe, yet bright, albeit a bit short. Reductive nose. I like the white peach aspect, certainly want to take a bite out of it. Probably the most potential among these second whites, but steely and reduced. Give it time! Blending 60% Sauvignon Blanc and 40% Semillon, clocks in at 13.5% alcohol.

Like the Bouscaut, this also displays a somewhat too evolved aspect as well, but not as pronounced as the second wine of Château Bouscaut. A certain rich and juicy yellow peach aspect appeals to be sure. Clocks in at 13.5% alcohol and blends and 95% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Sauvignon Gris.

There is a real classy and nuanced aspect to this second wine, that is undeniable! I am a buyer, based on this tasting as it displays cool white peach with hints of pear, delivered in a smooth texture and ending in a long finish. What is not to like? Bravo!

This is a bit more austere and short than the Reserve de Martillac but it is a good choice for a second wine, with verve and brightness, albeit “steely” brightness. Medium finish.

Hard to gauge at this stage, as it is rather reductive and steely but with time in glass, it gets better, this blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Semillon. 12.5 There is balance and tension to be sure, so give it time. The pedigree is to be respected, and there is not issue here of heaviness or over-ripeness.

This is lovely and a superior wine to the Château Couhins. More nuanced and less a one-note wonder. You get ripe fruit and a fine, iodine like freshness that would be even better with oysters! Bravo! Clocks in at 13.5% alcohol.

Blending 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Semillon, this is rather closed in, and yet it shows so much potential – a "burgeoning richness" with density. There is so much going on here - with notes of pear, peach white and lemon - yet it needs time in your cellar to come around. A gorgeous wine. 13.5% alcohol.

What a lovely nose! Shows much brightness and promise. Orange blossom. The palate is bright, even if it lacks the complexity and density of the Domaine de Chevalier, tasted just before. 13% alcohol. Maybe with time in bottle, it could merit a higher score.

The nose? There is iodine, there is lemon, there is kiwi: all kinds of stuff going on and this is a very fine white – but do not neglect their second wine, which in 2016 is darn good. There is white peach and pear on the palate, just a robust and lively white that keeps on giving! 13.5% alcohol. Bravo!

This left me more perplexed than impressed. Sure, you get fruit and texture but all in small measure. Reduction city. Where is the wine? What is going on here? For this price? I feel like saying "Nuts!". I would take, say, the Couhins Lurton white any day over this one. But maybe it was the bottle, so the note can be revised. We did not have a second bottle to try. I give it a 91 out of caution, but will try it again, and report back.